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57 people were on the list including 4 women 18 people entered near Lukeville, 12 each near Douglas and Nogales, 11 near Sasabe and 4 near Naco. Most people had been picked up within the last 5 days, two or three around the first of the month. Judge M did not mention the country of origin. One woman’s case was dismissed due to language and another, Franklin Macguever Lopez-Say spoke an indigenous language but said he understood Spanish.

This judge is the only one who calls up all the clients of a lawyer up at the same time. He called three lawyers at a time so you had 9 or 10 migrants and 3 lawyers standing before the judge while he questioned them. The lawyers are given a block of time when they must be in the courtroom. This hearing took about an hour and a half.

Judge M sentenced the group to 3,870 days. The cost of incarceration for that time at $161 a day is $623,070. That is the cost for one day—a busy day—out of five in the Tucson sector which is one of the nine border sectors. Many more people are picked up each day by the border patrol.

First time crossers are documented and sent back. Women with children do not come to Operation Streamline. People caught while committing a felony will go to criminal court and some of it is just luck of the draw. Asylum seekers have to ask for asylum from an immigration officer and often end up in OS wanting asylum or a ‘credible fear’ interview. Once in OS they are told they must wait until after serving their sentence to ask for asylum as they are returned to immigration for deportation.